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A question or questionnaire to all those who have been/ going to/ want to do the mammoth task that is the Edinburgh Fringe. How did you go about it. Specifically I'm talking about.

- Preview Shows, when where, how many.
- Leaflets/ Flyering.
- How long preparing the show.
- What are the audience's like, mood, size etc.
- How long should the show be.
- Accomadation / Food, Expenses etc

I'm hoping to do this through the Free Fringe, the costs of doing this the traditional route now have become astronomical for upstarts.

A few things to tell you upfront:

I have a show, which has been performed at a few gigs and mic nights and scripted through. Obviously this will have a lot of work done on it up until August time, tightening the script, new jokes + subtlelties etc.

I was thinking about getting an 'honest' panel together during the preview show to give genuine feedback as well as filming it so I can see for myself where things need to be improved.

I realise there are a lot of questions here :p, but I would really appreciate the help and info from some of the people who have been there in the trenches so to speak.

Regards, Phil

As a frequenter of the Fringe (not a performer though), I can tell you the following:

- Leaflets/ Flyering.
You stand in the street and hand them out. It's a self promotion exercise. Some people choose to do busking slots on the Royal Mile to promote their shows too. there are loads of poster boards around the town which I believe require payment in order to allow you to put up your own. You can also pay to get listed in the Fringe guide. It is pricey! See link below.


- What are the audience's like, mood, size etc.
It depends if you are planning to charge, time and location (mainly the popularity of the venue and how close to the centre it is).

If you are planning on doing it free (recommended for a Fringe starter to get better known), you will get bigger crowds who are not too bothered about the quality. Most who do free shows have a well practised, friendly spiel at the end about how they do it for free and how a contribution, in the form of pound coins, for their work would be very welcome. Often they throw in a joke to make it easier to swallow.

If you are expecting to sell tickets, you are going to have to invest in serious promotion and your name needs to proceed you, since a lot of people buy their festival tickets in advance when the Fringe guide comes out in June.

There are a couple of Free Fringe organisations you can probably get involved with. They put on shows in various functions rooms in bars and clubs. There is no problem with you asking for contributions at the end and they already put on some magicians.


- How long should the show be.
Most Fringe venues timetables are split up into hour long slots.



I have been eyeing up doing something at the Fringe for a while... I keep chickening out.

Good for you if you do it!

More information:
http://www.edfringe.com/participants

The Fringe is a beast. If you are unprepared there is a very good chance that you will be eaten alive.

If you want information, make sure that you talk to people who have experience of putting on shows (I'm not trying to disparage Dave's advice, but it's from the point of view of a spectator, which is very different to that of a performer). 90% of the advice you get will not apply to you - weeding out the good stuff is hard.

I'm at the Magic Castle this week, but if you drop me a line in a couple of weeks I may be able to point you in the right direction.

Ian

Ian is the (I use this in the nicest possible way) Grand-daddy of the Fringe as it were and his advice is almost always right on the money.

The main key to success with the Fringe (as I'm sure Ian will agree) is hard work. Generally speaking to get bums on seats be it a free show or a paid one you just have to work like a dog for a month. Still, I wouldn't spend an August any other way.

Rob and I have done four or five Fringes now in various guises and are always happy to offer what words of wisdom we may or may not have. Feel free to drop us a pm, email or line (have a look at our website for email/number).

Regards

Rhys

Thanks for the reply's guys, I'll drop you a line when I get things rolling :p .

Any advice on previews? Where/When to do them etc.

I've decided to start planning as early as possible to avoid any major problems, although small ones will inevitably pop up

Thanks, Phil

As Rhys' (professional) other half, consider the offer to pm/email for advice also extended.

Might I suggest pcwells as a good source of information about the free fringe, as he's been doing free fringe magic for the last couple of years at least.

Cheers,

Rob

Thanks guys, expect lots of newbish questions in a few weeks time :p

While I have never done Fringe (this year is different), my performance company went up for the first time last year.

I know from a London based-operation, everyday was spent chasing people, getting people to list us (Time Out & various magazines; we are lucky to have a gay following due to the nature of our group so this helped with publicity in gay magazines, etc) & just thinking out deals. We contacted drama schools, university's and offered deals for 'art students'.

The days in Edinburgh were spent dressing up & making ourselves known. Handing out flyers in imaginative ways & just general pushing!

We started publicity at the beginning of July & pushed, pushed, pushed.

I have a perfect opportunity to try something at the Fringe since I have free accommodation (my good lady lives within easy walking distance of the the centre) and I work for myself meaning I can dedicate whatever time I like to it. I also run a design and print business so self promo is at trade price.

Is there room for inexperienced performers at the Fringe?

I figure it'll give me the experience I need and make me so much better for it. I suppose the real question is, would I be biting off more than I can chew?

Also, I was considering trying to get a reliable friend on-board to help me plan it, give feedback and to get enthused with. He could then help each performance day by looking after the sound, tickets and generally managing the show. Is this a done thing? It seems to make sense.

I'm sure if you spoke to certain venue managers (big or small venues), they'd let you entertain the crowds cueing for shows. Always thought they were missing a trick with that (pun intended)


G

Although the Fringe does have space for inexperienced performers, that's not necessarily a good thing. There is a much greater chance that you will not have a good time if you are not properly prepared, and that includes having enough stage time to appear competent.

The Fringe has a thing about being 'free of editorial control', which means that anyone who has the money can put on a show. While this was true twenty years ago, in practice all the venue managers programme their slots and there is usually more demand than there are spaces, which negates the 'come and play' ethos of the main body.

There are some groups that are trying to get back to those halcyon days, like the two Free Fringes and the Five pound Fringe. While these are a good thing on many levels, you cannot escape the fact that they are often seen as the poor relation to the Fringe, and the perceived quality of the shows suffers as a result. Unfortunately, since these branches are less stringently programmed than others (with the exception of PBH) there is a higher number of inexperienced (and just plain bad) shows, which does little to redress the public opinion.

Now, I'm not saying that the Free Fringes have not had some great shows in the past because that's demonstrably not true, but the diamonds are certainly in the minority.

Having said all that, if you really want to get a show done then there's little that will stop you. It's a lot of hard work, but the rewards can be paltry!

Ian

Just woke up in sunny Holly Would...

Ian, are you with Kev and Colin in Tinseltown?

DaveM wrote:I have a perfect opportunity to try something at the Fringe since I have free accommodation (my good lady lives within easy walking distance of the the centre)

My oldies have just booked a weekend trip to this years tattoo and the cost of accommodation is eye-watering; how do entertainers stay all month?

Erwin wrote:My oldies have just booked a weekend trip to this years tattoo and the cost of accommodation is eye-watering; how do entertainers stay all month?

Last year (before my partner moved there), we hired a very nice spacious flat between 6 of us for 10 days and it cost us about £127 each. It was within walking distance and had a good kitchen, wi-fi and a lovely shower!

Fringe rentals are fair more cost effective than hotels and as comfortable if you pick the right one. As long as you book in 4 or 5 months in advance, you'll get a bargain.

From my experience I would say that the Fringe is an amazing experience, and definitely the best way to spend your August. It will be exhausting, and very expensive, but it will be excellent fun and will do wonders for your material - it's a huge amount of live experience if nothing else.

However, don't expect to get famous, don't expect to sell out, don't expect to make money. Remember, audience have two and a half thousand shows to choose from.

Still, I highly recommend it.